Extra 2
My name is Lu Yi, but my brother always calls me Xiao Yizi, saying I'm a little Yizi who never grows up. Before college, I had never been in a relationship, and in fact, I had never liked anyone. But ever since that drizzly summer night, I feel like I'm no longer the calm and collected person I once was.
I remember that night I had just finished evening self-study. My roommates had all skipped it, and they only sent me to sign them in. After class, I realized it had started to drizzle. I felt embarrassed to ask my roommates, whom I had only recently met, to bring me an umbrella, so I had to wait alone at the library entrance for the rain to let up.
When I got back, there was hardly anyone on the road. This huge school didn't even have streetlights! What a lousy university! I cursed inwardly. I ran along the path, clutching my books, just wanting to get back to the dorm as quickly as possible; the feeling of my clothes being soaked by the continuous drizzle was unpleasant. Just as I approached the dorm, I saw a dark shadow dart out from under the gardenia tree next to the dorm building. Startled, I screamed, "A ghost—!" The books in my hands scattered on the ground.
"I'm sorry—did I scare you?" The figure that had suddenly appeared spoke up; the voice was deep and pleasant.
I looked at all the new books I had just received, now spread out on the damp ground, and I couldn't help but want to get angry: "What are you doing?! Who are you trying to scare by standing here?!" After saying that, I squatted down to pick up my poor books.
The man crouched down to help me pick up my books, his presence carrying a faint scent of gardenias. The familiar fragrance mixed with his scent was surprisingly pleasant. I looked up at him in the dim light of the dormitory building: sharp short hair, a clean profile, tightly pursed thin lips, and furrowed brows—so handsome?! My heart skipped a beat: bumping into me, helping me pick up my books, and he's such a handsome guy—isn't this the kind of cliché plot used to death in countless romance novels? And it actually happened to me! I felt this must be a divine gift, otherwise, how could I have such a romantic encounter late at night?
"Um...can I borrow your phone?" He stood up, somewhat embarrassed, and didn't continue apologizing.
"Huh?" I was a little confused. He was holding a phone in his hand.
"I tried to call my girlfriend, but she didn't answer," he explained, as if noticing my confusion.
I was momentarily disappointed; he was looking for a girlfriend. But then again, how could someone as good-looking not have one? It was just that it was so late at night, and a stranger was asking to borrow my phone. I couldn't help but be wary. My phone was actually in my pocket, but I still hesitated: even though we were at school, I couldn't rule out the possibility of a bad person.
"Sorry, I didn't bring my phone." I thought for a few seconds, then decided it was best to be cautious. As a college student, I might not bring books to study, but how could I not bring my phone? I was slightly nervous, afraid he would notice something amiss and have a bad impression of me.
He clearly hadn't thought it through, and his expression turned extremely disappointed upon hearing this. He looked up and gazed deeply at the brightly lit dormitory building, then lowered his head dejectedly, forcing a smile at me: "It's okay, I'll wait and see."
The moment I saw his expression, I regretted it. Someone so handsome, and so good to his girlfriend, how could he be a bad person? How could I bear to refuse?! What an idiot! But I had just lied, and I couldn't take out my phone now, otherwise I'd be contradicting myself. I nodded at him indifferently and went into the dorm with my books. When I got back to my dorm, I found the books were all crumpled from clutching them. It's just a phone, right? I have to lend it! I absolutely have to lend it! I pulled out my phone and ran downstairs, terrified he'd already left, silently pleading: Please wait for me, I'll be right down!
Fortunately, he was still standing under that gardenia tree, talking on the phone while looking up at the dormitory building. I breathed a sigh of relief, quickly ran to him, handed him the phone like a treasure, and then guiltily explained, "I brought it down from the dormitory."
The boy gave me a grateful look and immediately started making a call. Sure enough, it was answered shortly afterward. The campus SIM cards issued by the school all have consecutive numbers, and everyone knows that they are alumni, so even if it's an unfamiliar number, no one will reject the call.
But his demanding girlfriend hung up before he could say more than a few words, and when he called back, it was no use. He seemed to have expected it, calmly handing my phone back to me. The dejection from before was gone from his eyes; there was only a hint of resignation.
"Did you make your girlfriend angry?" I was very curious and couldn't help but gossip.
"Hmm." He clearly didn't want to say more, and simply nodded slightly.
"Then come back tomorrow or the day after. Waiting like this isn't a solution. Maybe she'll calm down and stop acting like this." Although I was advising her, I was thinking to myself: What's so great about a girlfriend who's so unreasonable? You should break up with her as soon as possible. If you ended up with me... I'd treat you really well!
He just glanced at me indifferently after hearing what I said: "I'm leaving soon, and I don't know when the next time will be."
He's not from this school? Does that mean I'll never see him again? Suddenly, I felt a surge of courage: "Which dorm is your girlfriend in? I'll go call her for you!"
He looked at me with surprise, completely unexpected that a stranger like me would go to such lengths to help him. I awkwardly avoided his gaze: Was I... a little too enthusiastic?!
"Thank you, but she won't come down." He spoke with such certainty that it was impossible not to believe him, yet using that word in this context seemed rather melancholic. What could possibly make a girlfriend so angry? So angry that she'd leave her boyfriend alone in the rainy night? We stood under the tree, the drizzle soaking our thin clothes, the fragrance of the blossoms cascading down. If it weren't for that damn girlfriend, what a romantic scene this would have been!
Just as I was getting carried away with my fantasies, he added, "Could you please take something for her?"
"Huh?" I was taken aback for a moment, then realized that he was still not giving up. "Oh, okay!"
Where is the supermarket around here?
I guess I'm just naturally susceptible to handsome guys, otherwise why would I have inexplicably taken a strange man to the school supermarket around 10 o'clock? Our school supermarket isn't very big, but it has everything you could want, but this guy in front of me seemed quite dissatisfied.
"Is this the only supermarket at your school?" He looked quite handsome even with his brows furrowed. I secretly glanced at him as he carefully selected items from the shelves.
"There's one on another campus, but it's the same as this one. What's wrong?"
“No jelly.” He said seriously.
I'm speechless: Dude, isn't that just jelly in your hand? This whole shelf is full of jelly!
Seeing my astonished expression, he added, "There's no peach jelly." His matter-of-fact tone almost made me think that apart from peach flavor, no other jelly in the world could be called jelly.
I was speechless for a moment: "You can't always pick your favorite, can you? Coconut jelly, pineapple, and orange flavors are all delicious, and most girls love them." I don't know if your girlfriend is an ordinary person.
He was silent for a moment after hearing what I said, and then spoke with a hint of melancholy: "Yes, how can one have everything they love? But that's just how she is; she always disdains what she doesn't like."
From his tone, I could almost tell that he was a spoiled and willful young lady, even picky about eating jelly!
He carried a big bag of snacks and came back to the dormitory building with me. I think if outsiders saw us like this, they would definitely think that this is my boyfriend. Sigh, if only it were true.
Just as he handed me a large bag and was about to leave, I couldn't help but call out to him, "Aren't you going to wait for her? Maybe she'll come down soon, or if she doesn't, I can pull her down."
He waved his hand, smiled at me, and said, "Don't pull her down, it's a bit chilly outside." Then he turned and left. I watched his tall figure disappear into the thick night, feeling a little sad: Chilly? Haven't you been standing there for hours?
When I knocked on the door of the legendary 306, I was really curious to see what that spoiled girl who didn't know how lucky she was looked like: "Excuse me, is Xia Tong here?"
The girl who opened the door shouted at the top of her lungs, "Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother, come out quickly, someone's looking for you!"
I took the opportunity to peek inside. There were three girls huddled around a computer watching a movie, chattering excitedly about the plot. Hearing the girl who opened the door shout, one of them immediately stood up and ran over, her eyes crinkling with laughter, her lips also curving into a smile. Seeing me, she looked at me with a puzzled expression: "Hello? Excuse me—"
She wasn't exactly a stunning beauty; her looks were above average, maybe even cute, and well, her figure was somewhat presentable. I critically evaluated her from head to toe. I'm not usually a harsh person, but I just couldn't stand her putting on this gentle, harmless act, letting her boyfriend pamper and wait for her like that—what else could it be but princess syndrome?!
"This is a gift from your boyfriend." I handed her the large bag, but to my surprise, she didn't take it. Her expression became unnatural, and she withdrew her hand. "That's not my boyfriend. He's mistaken me for someone else. Please return it to him for me!"
"He's already gone." I was a little confused: Not your boyfriend? Her roommates seemed even more confused, or rather, confused and excited: "Fourth sister, you actually had a boyfriend! And you were hiding it!"
She explained with difficulty, "Yes, there is, but it's not this one. He's studying in another city."
Two more girls rushed out of their dorm room, rummaging through the shopping bag: "So what if it was delivered to the wrong place? The person's already gone, consider it a windfall! Everyone who sees it gets a share! Wow, so much delicious food!"
Judging from their expressions... could it really be that I sent the wrong item?
"Do you know Fu Jia?"
"No... I don't know her." After hearing this name, Xia Tong's expression turned strange, and she didn't dare to look me in the eye. Please, if you're going to lie, at least be sincere. The signs are so obvious.
I didn't want to get entangled with her any longer, so I turned around and left. Isn't it normal for young couples to bicker? Why are you making such a fuss? I thought this was my last encounter with her, but life is like that; there's a saying that's true: coincidences are inevitable.
We met again at a hometown gathering. A senior student organized a get-together for freshmen from our hometown, saying it would be good for them to get to know each other so they could go home together during holidays and help each other out. I didn't expect that Xia Tong was also from our city, so it was very likely that Fu Jia was too! I was thrilled. When she introduced herself, I heard her say she was from No. 2 Middle School, and I was even more surprised: my brother was also at that school! Maybe my brother could also know Fu Jia?
I moved closer to her and asked, "Do you remember me?"
Her expression shifted between light and dark when she saw me: "I remember."
"Are you from No. 2 Middle School? My brother is too! My brother's name is Lu Yuan, do you know him?"
Her face changed upon hearing this, as if I had seen through her secret and come to expose her. Her first reaction was to deny it: "No..." Then she said dejectedly, "I know her."
So, do we know each other or not?
She bit her lip and said with difficulty, "I know her." Then, before I could speak, she said, "I have something to do, I'm leaving now," and fled. So I told you I didn't like her, what's there to be ashamed of? What wrong have she done to act like this? She's not open at all. I then curiously called my brother to ask about Xia Tong and Fu Jia, but he was equally evasive and wouldn't let me ask any more.
What illegal and disorderly things have you done? I promise I won't report you, okay?
Long, long afterward—so long that I'd almost forgotten the boy I'd once liked, the one I'd only met once—I found an invitation in my brother's room. Unlike the usual bright red velvet backgrounds and gold lettering, this invitation couldn't be described simply as an invitation; it was a book with a purple cover, like a stamp album. Inside, there were actually stamps! But the stamps depicted the two children, in various photos from childhood to adulthood: a boy pulling a girl's two braids, the girl looking at the camera with tears in her eyes; a clipping from a group photo of the two holding hands after a childhood field trip; even their elementary and middle school graduation photos, and a group photo after a choir competition; all sorts of joyful, triumphant, aggrieved, and reluctant moments from childhood to adulthood were presented. Just from these little stamps, you could see how they grew up together, supporting each other.
Turning to the last page revealed a paper-cutting image. The bright red paper-cutting on a white background was extremely beautiful. The paper-cutting depicted two people leaning together, smiling sweetly as if taking a wedding photo. In the middle was a small double happiness symbol, making it both festive and interesting.
The inscription below reads: "Presented to my dear friend Lu Yuan, for his personal opening."
We cordially invite you to the wedding ceremony and banquet of Fu Jia and Xia Tong on May 1, 2002!
May 1st? That's tomorrow night? These two are getting married! I really want to go see it! But my brother says he doesn't want to go!
“Aren’t you friends? How can you not attend your friend’s big day?” I yelled at him.
"It was true before, but now—I don't know if it is anymore." I couldn't quite describe my brother's tone at the time, but there was an undisguised sense of melancholy in it. I could only guess: Did you also like that Xia Tong?
But then my brother received a phone call, and after that, he stopped hesitating and took me to the wedding banquet. It wasn't that I hadn't seen grand wedding banquets before; I just hadn't seen such magnificent happiness. The entire banquet hall was decorated in a warm and dreamy style, and it was the various interesting little details that truly showcased the essence of this wedding.
I saw that boy again, the same lonely boy who had waited so long downstairs at the dormitory years ago. He was clearly much more mature now; his smile even revealed adorable dimples. Compared to his gloomy mood that night, he was beaming with joy today. In the bustling hall, whenever the bride spoke, he would lower his head and listen intently, as if the whole world was less important than hearing her casual joke.
The people at our table seemed to be his friends who ran an internet technology company. They were joking around, calling each other "boss" all the time, and the atmosphere was great. Later, the bride and groom went around toasting each other. I've always thought this part of wedding banquets is the most cliché—people who aren't really close saying auspicious things and then desperately drinking—it's utterly boring. But today's groom was different; he could chat with everyone for a bit, and before long, the toasting was over. He really moved around freely.
When they arrived at our table, the group around us started chanting and singing, always eager for excitement, which drew everyone's attention. Later, led by one of the young men, our table inexplicably joined in and sang "May Good People Live in Peace," a bizarre song choice that made everyone present, young and old, burst into laughter. Amidst the off-key rendition of "Who can share a drink with me, knowing each other year after year, now we raise our glasses to wish good people a peaceful life," Fu Jia listened calmly. Only at the end did he look at the lead singer, lean down, and ask Xia Tong, "What do you think we should sing when he gets married?"
"How about 'Unfortunately, It's Not You'?" The bride readily agreed, blinking her eyes to ask for his opinion.
Fu Jia shook her head and replied, "Haven't you been liking 'Happy Breakup' more lately?" Their voices weren't loud, but just loud enough for everyone to hear.
So the woman next to the lead singer pinched him hard, and he immediately wilted: "Boss, no! I was just wishing you a peaceful life!"
The whole table burst into laughter again, but my brother remained unusually silent amidst the laughter and merriment. Then, he raised his glass to the bride, his tone unusually solemn: "I'm so glad you two are together, otherwise I would always feel uneasy. I'm sorry."
After my brother said that, all three of them fell silent. The bride's smile almost faltered, and Fu Jia's expression turned displeased: "What are you saying? This isn't your fault."
My brother didn't want to ruin the atmosphere, so he laughed and said, "Xia Tong, if you're unhappy, come find me. I'll make it up to you for the rest of my life."
Fu Jia punched him on the shoulder: "Get lost, you dare to poach my boyfriend right in front of me."
Xia Tong laughed too: "Keep your whole life safe, don't use it to ruin me."
That night, my brother got completely drunk. I finally managed to get him into the car, but he was already unconscious, muttering nonsense about coming to him if he was unhappy. I couldn't help but push him: "You don't actually like Xia Tong, do you?"
"I didn't," my brother denied with his eyes closed.
"So what exactly happened? What happened to you in the past?" I couldn't help but ask, I still wanted to know.
"The past is the past! Why are you asking? No matter what happened before, they ended up together, isn't that good enough?!" Hearing me repeatedly ask about their past, my brother lost his temper with me for the first time.
I felt a little wronged. I hadn't said anything; I just wanted to know what twists and turns their love story had gone through. But since my brother was drunk, I decided not to argue with him.
Seeing the undisguised joy and happiness in his eyes today, I am reminded of that cool, rainy night many years ago, when I was a naive young boy stubbornly waiting under the gardenia tree. Yes, since the result is happiness, why hold on to the past?
But that handsome boy who waited for love, that boy who regretted not being her favorite, along with the fragrance of the wet gardenia, will forever remain in my heart.
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Do you all remember Lu Yuan? He was Fu Jia's elementary and middle school classmate, and Xia Tong's senior year high school classmate. Alright, let Fu Jia and Xia Tong live their own lives. We've been watching for so long, let's leave!
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